The Complete Works of William Shakespeare In Plain and Simple English (Translated) (711 page)

I'll no gainsaying.

We'll split the difference, and that's

my last word on the matter.

POLIXENES

Press me not, beseech you, so.

There is no tongue that moves, none, none i' the world,

So soon as yours could win me: so it should now,

Were there necessity in your request, although

'Twere needful I denied it. My affairs

Do even drag me homeward: which to hinder

Were in your love a whip to me; my stay

To you a charge and trouble: to save both,

Farewell, our brother.

Please don't tempt me.

There is nobody in the world who could

convince me as easily as you; you would do now,

if there was any reason for your request, even

if I really ought to refuse it.  My affairs

are calling me home; to stop me would be

doing me wrong, even though done out of love;

it would not do you credit for me to stay; to

prevent this I say goodbye, my brother.

LEONTES

Tongue-tied, our queen?

speak you.

Silent, my queen?

Speak.

HERMIONE

I had thought, sir, to have held my peace until

You have drawn oaths from him not to stay. You, sir,

Charge him too coldly. Tell him, you are sure

All in Bohemia's well; this satisfaction

The by-gone day proclaim'd: say this to him,

He's beat from his best ward.

I was going to keep my peace until

you had made him promise to stay.  You, sir,

have not done your best.  Tell him, you are certain

that everything is fine in Bohemia; I had the news

from there just yesterday; tell him we've beaten

his best defence.

LEONTES

Well said, Hermione.

Well said, Hermione.

HERMIONE

To tell, he longs to see his son, were strong:

But let him say so then, and let him go;

But let him swear so, and he shall not stay,

We'll thwack him hence with distaffs.

Yet of your royal presence I'll adventure

The borrow of a week. When at Bohemia

You take my lord, I'll give him my commission

To let him there a month behind the gest

Prefix'd for's parting: yet, good deed, Leontes,

I love thee not a jar o' the clock behind

What lady-she her lord. You'll stay?

If he said he was longing to see his son, that would be a good reason:

but if that's the case let him say so, and let him go;

but if he says he can't stay for the reason he's given

we'll drive him out of here with canes.

But I'll ask for you to stay here

an extra week.  If you do then when you host

my husband in Bohemia I'll let him stay

a month longer than his allotted time, even though,

good Leontes, I don't love you a whisker less

than any other lady loves her lord.  Will you stay?

POLIXENES

No, madam.

No, madam

HERMIONE

Nay, but you will?

No meaning yes?

POLIXENES

I may not, verily.

I really can't.

HERMIONE

Verily!

You put me off with limber vows; but I,

Though you would seek to unsphere the

stars with oaths,

Should yet say 'Sir, no going.' Verily,

You shall not go: a lady's 'Verily' 's

As potent as a lord's. Will you go yet?

Force me to keep you as a prisoner,

Not like a guest; so you shall pay your fees

When you depart, and save your thanks. How say you?

My prisoner? or my guest? by your dread 'Verily,'

One of them you shall be.

Really!

You put me off with shoddy excuses; but I,

even though you're trying to swear so forcefully

that you must go,

will still say, 'Sir, don't go.'  Really,

you shan't go: a lady's 'really' is just

as powerful as a lord's.  Do you still say you'll go?

You'll force me to keep you as a prisoner,

Not as a guest; you'll have to pay for your keep

when you leave, never mind your thanks.  What do you say?

Will you be my prisoner, or my guest?  With your "really",

you'll be one of them.

POLIXENES

Your guest, then, madam:

To be your prisoner should import offending;

Which is for me less easy to commit

Than you to punish.

I'll be your guest then madam:

to be your prisoner would mean I would have to commit an offence,

and that would be easier for you to punish

than for me to commit.

HERMIONE

Not your gaoler, then,

But your kind hostess. Come, I'll question you

Of my lord's tricks and yours when you were boys:

You were pretty lordings then?

So I won't be your jailer, then,

but your kind hostess. come, I want to question you

about the tricks you and my lord got up to when you were boys:

you were pretty little lords then?

POLIXENES

We were, fair queen,

Two lads that thought there was no more behind

But such a day to-morrow as to-day,

And to be boy eternal.

We were, fair queen,

two lads who thought there was no more to come

except a tomorrow which would be the same as today,

and that we would be boys forever.

HERMIONE

Was not my lord

The verier wag o' the two?

And wasn't my husband

the merrier of the pair?

POLIXENES

We were as twinn'd lambs that did frisk i' the sun,

And bleat the one at the other: what we changed

Was innocence for innocence; we knew not

The doctrine of ill-doing, nor dream'd

That any did. Had we pursued that life,

And our weak spirits ne'er been higher rear'd

With stronger blood, we should have answer'd heaven

Boldly 'not guilty;' the imposition clear'd

Hereditary ours.

We were like twin lambs playing in the sun,

bleating to each other: we matched

each other's innocence; we didn't know

about wrongdoing, nor dreamed that

anyone else did wrong. If we had stayed in that state,

never having our weak spirits raised up

through our strong ancestry, when heaven charged us

with original sin we would have boldly answered

“not guilty", thinking we had never done anything wrong.

HERMIONE

By this we gather

You have tripp'd since.

From this one might assume

that you have sinned since.

POLIXENES

O my most sacred lady!

Temptations have since then been born to's; for

In those unfledged days was my wife a girl;

Your precious self had then not cross'd the eyes

Of my young play-fellow.

O my dear lady!

Temptation has come our way since then;

in those days of youth my wife was just a girl;

your precious being had not then come to the eye

of my young playmate.

HERMIONE

Grace to boot!

Of this make no conclusion, lest you say

Your queen and I are devils: yet go on;

The offences we have made you do we'll answer,

If you first sinn'd with us and that with us

You did continue fault and that you slipp'd not

With any but with us.

Heaven help us!

Don't continue this argument, in case you say

that your queen and I are devils: but go on;

we'll take responsibility for the offences we've made you do,

if your first sin was committed with us,

and your sins continued with us, and you didn't sin

with anyone except us.

LEONTES

Is he won yet?

Has he given in yet?

HERMIONE

He'll stay my lord.

He'll stay, my lord.

LEONTES

At my request he would not.

Hermione, my dearest, thou never spokest

To better purpose.

He wouldn't when I asked him.

Hermione, my dearest, you never spoke

with better effect.

HERMIONE

Never?

Never?

LEONTES

Never, but once.

Never, except for one time.

HERMIONE

What! have I twice said well? when was't before?

I prithee tell me; cram's with praise, and make's

As fat as tame things: one good deed dying tongueless

Slaughters a thousand waiting upon that.

Our praises are our wages: you may ride's

With one soft kiss a thousand furlongs ere

With spur we beat an acre. But to the goal:

My last good deed was to entreat his stay:

What was my first? it has an elder sister,

Or I mistake you: O, would her name were Grace!

But once before I spoke to the purpose: when?

Nay, let me have't; I long.

What! Have I spoken well twice? When was the previous time?

Please tell me; fill me with praise, make me

as fat as a farm animal: one good deed going unpraised

could stop a thousand that were about to be done.

Praise is our wages: you can get us to go

a thousand furlongs with one soft kiss before

we'll cross a single one beaten with spurs. But to the point:

the last good thing I did was to persuade him to stay:

what was the first good thing? It has an elder sister,

or I've misunderstood you: oh, I wish her name was Grace!

But once before I have said something good: when?

Come on, tell me, I'm dying to hear.

LEONTES

Why, that was when

Three crabbed months had sour'd themselves to death,

Ere I could make thee open thy white hand

And clap thyself my love: then didst thou utter

'I am yours for ever.'

Why, it was when

three miserable months had withered away,

before I could make you open your white hand

to take mine with love: it was then that you said

‘I am yours forever.’

HERMIONE

'Tis grace indeed.

Why, lo you now, I have spoke to the purpose twice:

The one for ever earn'd a royal husband;

The other for some while a friend.

So it is called Grace.

Well, look at this, I have spoken well twice:

the first one earned me a royal husband for ever;